


A Long Awaited Reunion

by Settiai



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, One Shot, Post-Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26153896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: Someone had opened a portal in the tree.
Relationships: Keyleth & Vilya | Viridian
Comments: 18
Kudos: 207





	A Long Awaited Reunion

Someone had opened a portal in the tree.

Keyleth stood up instinctively, already going through the spells she had prepared for the day. There weren't as many defensive ones as she would have liked, but then again why would there be? She'd gotten used to peace over the years, had settled into the role of leader rather than adventurer.

But she had no idea who could have possibly opened a portal into the heart of Zephrah, and – even after years, decades even, of peace – there was a part of her that couldn't help but expect it to be a threat. Some things you could never truly put behind you.

She clearly wasn't the only one who'd had that thought. Derrig had stood up as well, his hand going to his sword, and she saw several of the younger ones reaching for their own weapons. Those who were unarmed or not trained in fighting were backing away, letting those with more experience get between them and possible danger, as they should.

Someone moved on the other side of the portal, and Keyleth let her gaze focus on them. And then she felt her heart stop for just a moment as a jolt of pure recognition shot through her.

It was impossible. It was _impossible_.

As she watched, her body frozen as surely as if someone had cast a spell on her, a half-elf woman stepped into the portal, walking through it and coming out on the other side. She saw a smaller figure behind her, watching from the other side, but she didn't focus on them. She couldn't. Her attention was entirely caught by a familiar figure that she hadn't seen since she was a little girl.

"Mom?"

The word came out as barely more than a whisper, her voice cracking halfway through the single syllable of it. It was enough to send murmurs through the crowd of people around her, though. Those younger than her looked surprised, turning their attention to the stranger who had just appeared in their midst, while those who were older did double-takes, looks of shocked familiarity appearing on their faces.

Keyleth hands came up to clench in front of her chest. Her heart was pounding as if she'd just finished miles of running, a deep ache that was both familiar and completely alien threatening to overwhelm her completely.

"Keyleth?"

That's all it took. One word. A familiar mouth twisting around the two syllables of her name, a lilt at the end that she had almost forgotten about over the years. She knew that voice. She _knew_ that voice. Gods, she _fucking knew that voice_.

"Mom!"

There was a voice in the back of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Percy warning her to be careful, that she knew damn well a familiar face wasn't always what it appeared. But she didn't care. Not right then. For just a moment, she wasn't the Voice of Tempest. She wasn't a member of Vox Machina.

All she was just then was a child again who wanted a hug from her mother more than anything in the entire world.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter. (https://twitter.com/settiai)


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